NASCAR will not issue any penalties to Ryan Blaney or Carson Hocevar for their pit road fight following Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell confirmed the decision on Monday on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast, making clear the sport isn’t looking to punish the drivers for handling the confrontation themselves.
“We’re not going to encourage fighting,” O’Donnell said, though he added that NASCAR wants to see passion from its drivers. He pointed to the 2010 incident between Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards as the kind of precedent NASCAR is watching for, drawing a line between drivers throwing punches and drivers using their cars as weapons. O’Donnell also stressed that NASCAR wants drivers to handle confrontations themselves, not their crews, noting that NASCAR doesn’t want “a lot of big guys coming out of D1 football jumping in.”
Advertisement
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell during the Bloomberg Power Players New York event.Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
However, it is not all over. NASCAR is still deciding whether any crew members should face penalties for their role in the pit road scrum.
Why NASCAR Is Still Reviewing Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar Fight
NASCAR is continuing to investigate the involvement of crew members from both teams who rushed in during the altercation on pit road, the sanctioning body told media members, according to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. The sanctioning body said it may issue penalties related to crew conduct later in the week if it determines further action is necessary.
Advertisement
The fight itself broke out after Hocevar’s car made contact with Blaney’s in Turn 1 while the two battled for second place, sending Blaney into the outside wall and ending his night with a DNF. Blaney confronted Hocevar at his pit stall once the race concluded, and the two exchanged punches before crew members from both teams stepped in to separate them.
What the Decision Means for Both Drivers Going Forward
Blaney himself said he doesn’t believe the incident warrants a penalty. Appearing on Denny Hamlin’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Blaney said he approached Hocevar to confront him verbally rather than to start a fight: “I wasn’t planning on throwing anything.” He acknowledged the on-track contact was a 50-50 call and said he came out on the losing end of the physical exchange with Hocevar.
Advertisement
NASCAR has penalized drivers for physical altercations in the past, but the sanctioning body has also shown a pattern of allowing on-track disputes to play out without intervention when the contact stems from a racing incident rather than a premeditated act. Both Blaney and Hocevar avoided any points or financial penalties tied directly to the fight itself, though any crew member found to have escalated the confrontation could still face consequences.
The no-penalty ruling also means Ryan Blaney’s wife, who took to social media to call out Hocevar after the incident, won’t see NASCAR weigh in on her side of the feud either. The Chase moves on to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, September 27, where both drivers are set to be in the field without any suspension or points impact from Bristol.
Advertisement
More NASCAR News
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Read the full article here